The next day, on Klichche Island.
This small island belonged to the Beasts Pirates, and for now it served as a temporary refuge where the Three Emperors' Alliance was recuperating.
Marco, who had been unconscious for a full day, finally woke. As soon as he came to, he ordered all the commanders to assemble.
"This time, out of our 20,000 Phoenix Pirates, fewer than a thousand survived. The rest were all buried at sea in that final explosion," Vista reported, his expression heavy with grief.
Jozu added quietly, "We managed to find some of the bodies… but for many, we can't even find their remains."
Vista went on, "Although the losses were heavy this time, it's fortunate that all the commanders survived. In a way... it's a blessing in disguise."
Marco listened in silence, then asked, "How many people do our Phoenix Pirates have left now?"
Vista answered solemnly, "Including the pirates guarding the various islands, we should only have about five thousand people left."
"Only five thousand left?" Marco frowned.
He already knew that when Garp and Zephyr attacked Beehive Island, the pirates stationed there had been completely wiped out. But to think that the entire Phoenix Pirates had now been reduced to just five thousand.
At their peak, the Whitebeard Pirates had more than 50,000 members. When Marco took over, there were still 25,000. Yet in less than a year, after several large-scale battles, their numbers had fallen to less than a tenth of their prime.
"Most of those who sacrificed themselves this time were pirates from our subordinate crews," Jozu said gravely. "Thirteen Captains from the allied crews died in this battle."
"What about the Seraphim?" Marco asked, forcing himself to stay calm.
"They were swept into the sea by the storm as well," Jinbe replied. "I managed to salvage them along with the Pacifista, but… maybe it's because of water damage. Their systems have crashed, and they can't move at all."
"At least we got them back," Yamato said offhandedly. "We can hand them over to Vegapunk later. Maybe he can repair them."
Marco looked around at everyone, a weight in his voice. "Do you think we won or lost this war?"
The outcome of the war left him with mixed feelings. After defeating the Marines and the Gorosei, they had already paid a terrible price—but at least they had gained four Seraphim, which had somewhat made up for their losses.
In the end, the ancient weapon Uranus descended from the sky. Marco destroyed it, triggering a colossal explosion that wiped out the entire Three Emperors Alliance. The battle finished as a devastating lose-lose.
Ace walked over then, resting a hand on Marco's shoulder. "Alright, Marco. We lost a lot of brothers this time, but this isn't your fault. If anything, it's a good thing Uranus was destroyed. Otherwise, I'm afraid every last one of us would be dead. We're only alive right now because of you."
"That's right. If it weren't for you, Marco, we'd probably all be dead," Jinbe added solemnly.
"Next time we go to war, we keep the ordinary pirates away from the battlefield," Vista said seriously. "Honestly, against monsters on the level of the Gorosei and the God's Knights, regular pirates don't stand a chance. Even we commanders are almost helpless against the God's Knights and the Gorosei's immortality. We can barely deal with the God's Knights, but against the Gorosei, we have absolutely no way to fight back."
"On top of that," Vista continued, "there's also that Imu-sama behind the Gorosei. "
Everyone nodded. If it had only been the Marines, the regular members of the Phoenix Pirates could still have fought. But once the World Government itself entered the war, everything changed.
It changed so much the battle became unrecognizable. The power of the God's Knights and the Gorosei was far beyond anything they had imagined. No amount of manpower could make up for that kind of overwhelming strength.
In truth, the only Gorosei and God's Knights who had fallen were taken down by Marco alone. Everyone else's attacks had been useless against those monsters. They weren't just immortal—they were unbelievably strong.
With a grave expression, Jinbe finally asked, "Marco, do you know who that Imu is?"
By all logic, Jinbe shouldn't have asked. There was no reason to think Marco could know such a thing. But now, like the rest of the crew, he had come to trust and admire Marco as deeply as they once trusted their old man.
Marco shook his head lightly. "I'm not completely sure. All I know is that he's a Celestial Dragon who's lived for eight hundred years—the true ruler of the World Government."
"I see…" everyone murmured, understanding dawning on their faces.
"Captain Marco!"
A pirate rushed in, slightly out of breath. "Kaido and Big Mom are inviting you over."
Vista's expression turned grave. "Their battle losses should've been tallied by now. Let's go, Marco."
"Yeah, let's go." Marco stood up, face calm but serious. "We took a heavy hit this time… but the Marines and the World Government paid a steep price too. We'll lay low for a while."
Before long, Marco entered the conference room with more than a dozen division captains at his back. Kaido, Big Mom, and their core officers were already gathered inside.
The shockwave from Uranus's explosion had devastated the Three Emperors Alliance, but most of the top cadres had managed to survive.
As they stepped in, they were greeted by the sight of Kaido chugging sake, covering his face and bawling, "Wooo-ooo…"
After Marco took his seat, he stared at Kaido for a moment, at a loss, then asked, "Oi, Kaido, what are you crying for?"
Kaido howled miserably, "Wuwuwuwu, my Gifters army that I built up so painstakingly is gone, wuwuwuwu…"
Marco was left speechless. He recalled just how many Devil Fruit users the Beasts Pirates had—those Gifters who'd eaten SMILEs and gained abilities and the Headliners, who hadn't. Either way, they'd all lost the ability to swim. He pressed on, "Come to think of it, Kaido, how many people did your Beasts Pirates lose in this war?"
"Wuwuwuwu, my Devil Fruit user army, wuwuwuwu…" Kaido just kept sobbing, completely ignoring the question.
Marco could only sigh inwardly. King, standing behind Kaido, spoke up instead. "The casualties are catastrophic. We brought over ten thousand pirates this time. Aside from the Devil Fruit users who could fly and escaped the blast, almost everyone else was wiped out."
"Among the Tobiroppo, only Ulti, Who's-Who, Vergo, and Sasaki survived. The other two are resting at the bottom of the sea. Our strength has been drastically reduced."
Marco's brows rose. "Your losses are that serious?"
Big Mom, back in her original, massive form, scowled. "I also took heavy losses. To back you up this time, I brought over five thousand people—and now only a few hundred are left."
Big Mom's expression twisted with anger as she snarled, "Last time, that Marine sneak attack on Cake Island already cost me dearly. And this time I lost so many subordinates again. Now my Big Mom Pirates have fewer than seven thousand people left."
Marco listened, nodding slightly, then turned to King. "What about you?"
King's tone was grave. "We're in the same situation. When the World Government used Uranus to destroy Wano Country, our Beasts Pirates suffered massive losses. And this time, we lost so much strength again. Now the Beasts Pirates only have five or six thousand men left."
Ace spoke up as well, his face serious. "Looks like it's the same for everyone. Our Phoenix Pirates also took extremely heavy losses in this war. We're down to about five thousand people too."
Bang!
Kaido's fist smashed into the table as he roared, "World Government, I've got this debt written down! I'm definitely going to slaughter every last one of you! Marco, I agree with what you said before. We'll attack the Holy Land head-on! I want those damn Celestial Dragons to taste the terror of war too!"
Big Mom, however, grumbled unhappily, "How are we supposed to fight like this? Our Three Emperors Alliance has fewer than twenty thousand people now. How are we supposed to fight with that?"
In truth, Big Mom no longer wanted to clash with the Gorosei at all—she simply couldn't beat them. If it were just the Marines, even an admiral, she wouldn't be afraid. But the power of the Gorosei was too abnormal. There was no way for her to win.
But she was already too deeply entangled with the Three Emperors Alliance. Her hatred for the Marines and the World Government was stronger than ever. It was impossible for her to just walk away and live a peaceful life. The Marines and the World Government would never let her go, and Kaido and Marco wouldn't easily allow her to leave either.
Marco glanced at Big Mom and said, "Linlin, after fighting the Gorosei and the God's Knights, you should've understood one simple truth, right? No matter how many ordinary people you have, they're meaningless against those monsters. A war with the World Government is different from a war with the Marines. Those guys are all undying monsters. Without Conqueror's Haki, it's almost impossible to kill them."
Big Mom grumbled, "I know that much. But I don't know that method you're talking about at all! And even if I did, it'd be useless. The Gorosei are too strong."
Kaido just grinned, mocking her. "Worororo! Linlin, that's not like you. I've basically mastered that power now. If it's one-on-one, I don't fear any of the Gorosei. "
Big Mom snorted. "Hmph. There are five of them on their side. No—one of them's already been killed by Marco, but there are still four Gorosei left. They're not that easy to handle."
Yamato spoke up seriously. "Don't worry. Ace and I both have Haoshoku Haki. We can help then."
Big Mom shot them a disdainful look and sneered, "Hmph, just you two brats? If they hadn't used that so‑called God's Blood, you might have been able to trade a few blows with them. But the Gorosei, after using that drug, are far stronger than you imagine. Even I am not their match."
"That's because you're too weak," Yamato said unhappily.
"What did you say?" Big Mom exploded at once. She could accept Kaido and Marco calling her weak—her strength really was below theirs now. But being called weak by a little girl like Yamato was something she couldn't swallow. She snarled, "You snot‑nosed brat, you think you're so strong? Do you want me to teach you what respect is?"
Ace quickly stepped in. "I'm sorry, Yamato just spoke out of turn."
Big Mom's eyes flashed coldly as she muttered, "Hey, Marco, Kaido, how exactly are you disciplining this girl?"
Marco replied calmly, "I'm not disciplining anyone. And if someone needs disciplining, it should be Ace, not me."
Kaido snorted, "Hmph. I gave up trying to educate her a long time ago. That's why I married off this money waster."
Then a playful smile tugged at Kaido's lips. "Still, Ace, looks like you're getting along pretty well with Yamato."
Ace answered with a bright grin, "Yamato is a very gentle person!"
Yamato slung an arm around Ace's shoulder and laughed. "Stinky old man, back on Egghead Island, Ace and I teamed up and took down Admiral Ryokugyu. Next time, the two of us are gonna team up to defeat you. Just wash your neck and wait for us!"
"Hmph. What's there to brag about after beating a mere admiral?" Kaido snorted, clearly displeased.
He was a little surprised that Yamato and Ace had actually managed to defeat Ryokugyu, but he didn't take it to heart. In his eyes, an admiral was nothing worth mentioning.
"After this war, our Three Emperors Alliance has taken heavy losses. We need to talk about how we move forward," Marco said, looking seriously at Kaido and Big Mom. "But before that, the three of us need to choose a leader so we can issue unified commands. Kaido, Linlin—what do you think?"
Big Mom's expression darkened for a moment, then she suddenly laughed as if a weight had lifted. "Mamamama! As for a leader, I will pass! As much as I hate to admit it, when it comes to strength, I am not as good as you two."
Hearing Big Mom's candid admission, Marco nodded slightly, then turned to Kaido. "Kaido, what about you?"
Kaido raised his gourd and took a long swig of sake, then grinned. "Worororo! You've challenged me to battle several times. If I didn't have the guts to accept, wouldn't that make me look like a coward?"
"And on top of that, you even got that robot's recognition. That really pisses me off."
"Whether you're Joy Boy's reincarnation or not, I want another good fight with you. I want to see if, just like last time, I can break through my limits again by clashing with you."
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